americano
by Severussnapeismybff
Summary: Wherein Lucius Malfoy was not arrested after the Department of Mysteries, Draco is questioning the rationale behind his fathers beliefs and his place in the pure-blood world, and Harry Potter fortuitously buys him a coffee. OR Draco gets lost in the muggle world, accidently orders a coffee, and Harry has to pay for him because what wizard carries muggle currency?
1. Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy was lost.

He had been in Diagon Alley with his mother, shopping for a new handbag, and he had grown bored of the conversations she would stop to have with fellow shoppers.

So he left.

Well, he hadn't particularly _meant _to leave Diagon Alley, but he had things on his mind, and he had not been paying attention when he walked through the brick wall and out into the muggle world. And then south. He thinks.

Well, either way, he was lost now.

And it was cold. And rainy. And windy.

But, it was quiet. So he supposes that it's not so bad.

Well, that and the fact he can't apparate yet.

He stopped and looked around, hoping to see something that was familiar that could lead him back to his world, out of the rain, and home.

He didn't find anything. All he could see were neon street signs saying words that made no sense, something called 'petrol,' and far too many muggles

"Fuck." He mumbled to himself.

He walked a few paces north and saw what looked like a couple leaving a building that was marked as 'The Tea Tree.' Whatever this building was, it looked warm and dry.

A bell chimed over the door when he entered, and he was met with the sweet smell of tea, coffee, and pastries. It reminded him of breakfast in the Great Hall, and his mouth began to water at the smell. The building was clearly a shop made for selling tea, though he had no idea how it worked in the muggle world.

He looked around, noting the various colors of fluffy chairs, the booths with a green tint to them, and people surrounding an interesting little round thing, with things over their ears. The walls were a warm shade of blue, with white accents that complimented what looked like a menu. It looked like the one present in Fortescue's, though this one had the items written in an elaborate, cursive script. There were some drinks he recognized, like a simple green tea, English Breakfast, coffee, and milk. The rest were unfamiliar, like "macchiato," "Cappuccino," or "Americano."

"Excuse me, is this your first time in?" A young-looking woman asked him from behind the counter. She was wearing a grey apron, and very clearly worked there. Her accent was heavy and reminded him of that Gryffindor in his year from Ireland, or wherever he was from.

He stuttered a very unrefined "Uh, what?" which she met with a bright smile.

"Not from around here, eh? Well, that's okay! Welcome to the Tea tree. We just recently opened. We bake our pastries fresh every day, and today's special is this croissant. It's twenty percent off when you order in house!"

He understood the words, but not the meaning. "twenty percent off?" he asked, not knowing what that meant.

"Oh yeah. So the total after the percentage off is 2 pounds. Here, I'll throw this one in the toaster for you! Would you like to try the special drink today? It's a Carmel latte! It's very sweet. If you don't like sweet, though, I recommend the americano. It's very bitter, but we use our house roast!"

Well, he certainly knew he did not like bitter drinks, having 3 sugar cubes in his tea. "Sweet is okay." He said.

"Okay! I'll get that started! The total is 4 pounds!"

"…What are pounds?"

The woman raised an eyebrow at him.

"Pounds-You know, money."

"Ah, right, of course uhm…I don't have any?" He wasn't quite sure how it worked in the muggle world, but he was pretty sure that you had to _have _money to _pay _for something.

"I'll cover it, Bri." A familiar voice said from behind him. He turned slightly, coming face to face with none other than Harry James Potter.


	2. Chapter 2

The shop clerk, whom Draco learned later was named Brianna, was kind as she sat down Draco's coffee and croissant. She sent him a bright smile, while hitting Potter playfully on the shoulder when he made a sarcastic comment. The two seemed familiar with one another.

"You're familiar with her." Draco voiced his thoughts.

Potter raised an eyebrow at the abrupt interruption. "Yeah." potter responded.

"I didn't know you have friends outside of the weasel and the...and Granger." saying the slur mudblood felt wrong in his mouth lately. He hoped Potter didn't ask him about it.

"I'm friends with lots of people, Malfoy."

"Well how can you be friends with muggles?" he asked curiously.

"Not all of us are assholes who hate muggles, Malfoy." His eyes were narrowed and his voice had a dangerous edge to it.

"No I- I just meant because we're always at Hogwarts."

Potter's posture relaxed a bit, but he stayed guarded, his hand on his coffee mug. "Well, I'm not at Hogwarts now, am I?"

"No, I suppose you're not."

A heavy, awkward silence fell over the two.

"This is weird." Harry said, a few moments later, causing Draco to nod, only for the two to fall back into silence.

Draco avoided eye contact by observing his surroundings. There was something strangely homey about this little shop, and he couldn't quite put his finger on why. The mug in his hand housed a delicious coffee drink, a caramel latte, and the warmth from the drink ran through his fingertips, warming his hands that were still a bit frigid from the poor weather. He could warm them, but since he was not surrounded by other magical folk, the blame would fall unto him or Potter and that was just far too much of a hassle.

Pictures were hung on the walls; some were nature shots, others were shots of people in various places, and in some he could see Brianna with a smile on her face.

His eyes continued to roam the coffee shop, no one was paying him or Potter any mind, all too preoccupied with whatever they were surrounding on the table, or the book in their hand, or the person in front of them. It was all painfully boring, and _normal. _He supposed that Potter never really got left alone in public, but this coffee shop was no different than the Slytherin Common room. Everyone had a nice smile, but beyond that they paid you no mind. If he hadn't known better, he would assume he was still in the wizarding world.

"I never thought about muggle pictures not moving-or what they would do in their daily lives."

"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't."

"This place reminds me of Hogwarts."

"Malfoy, why are you here?" Potter finally snapped. He had been silent beyond the questions he answered, or when he had spoken to Brianna. Draco was slightly taken aback and the abrupt change in his tone.

"It was cold outside, so I came inside."

"You know what I mean." Potter said.

Draco hesitated. "I didn't mean to wander into the muggle world, but I did, and I got lost. And now I'm here."

"And why aren't you throwing a hissy fit?"

Draco shrugged. He genuinely didn't know the answer to the question.

"Well, forgive me for being a bit suspicious. The last time I saw you, you were turning me over to Umbridge, and I'm not a huge fan of her either." Potter put his left hand down on the table and gestured at it. "You know, some of this is your fault. Not mine, but the scars on the back of other's hands, on the backs of some first years."

Draco looked down. Potter's hand looked like it had calloused, there were freckles, and he was tense. But the most noticeable thing was the faint pink that was stark against the deep shade of his skin. 'I must not tell lies' was written in Potters handwriting, and Draco knew Potter was right. There were people, his classmates, with similar scars on their hands because of Draco.

"I know." He said quietly. It was something that had been troubling him lately. His contribution to the harm that crazy old bat had caused at his school. In the moment he hadn't really thought of it, but one of the Slytherin first years had ended up in the mix of it and had been sent to Umbridge for punishment over something silly. His thoughts still wandered to the young girl's face, tears in her eyes as she asked him for directions to the hospital wing.

"I know." He said again, stronger this time. "Look, Potter, this has been _lovely _and all, but I believe my mother might be quite concerned as to my whereabouts. I feel you will probably say no, but I really am completely lost. Could you please show me to Diagon Alley?"

Potter seemed to think it over, weighing his options. Whatever he was thinking about, one side seemed to win him over and he stood up, bussing his dishes to the counter, Draco following suit. "Careful there, Potter. Don't want you to break your brain, thinking so hard."

Potter turned around and glared at him "I'm doing you a favor here, Malfoy."

"I was only joking, Potter."

"Thanks, Harry! I'll see you next time!" Brianna said, waving to them as they left. He sent her a charming smile and waved back.

"Bye, Bri. Thank you!"

Harry roughly pushed the door open and began what could only be described as speed walking away. "How do you know her?" Draco scrambled to keep up. The rain had subsided a bit, so it wasn't pouring rain the same way it had been earlier, but the drops were still cold.

Potter made an exasperated noise "I go to the coffee shop that she works at."

"And that's it?" Draco pressed.

Potter hesitated slightly "Yes. Why do you care so much?"

Draco wasn't sure himself, so he shrugged in response.

"Whatever. The leaky cauldron is this way."

Draco and Potter walked along in a very awkward silence, only the occasional sneeze or cough breaking it. After what seemed like forever, the boys made it to a the non-descript building known as the Leaky Cauldron.

"Here." Potter said roughly.

"So, I just go in?"

Potter sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair, clearly annoyed. "Yes, and then you go to the wall. God Malfoy, you're thick."

Draco didn't let the comment make it through his skin, much, but he bristled either way. "Well, excuse me _Potter, _I don't come this way. I apparate, like a proper wizard."

Potter narrowed his eyes and turn quickly, walking back into the downpour, leaving Draco to figure it out himself.

Of course, he was able to do so. He just had to make himself talk to one of the patrons. Which was terrible. They were a very…unruly looking sort, most of whom did not take kindly to Draco.

Eventually, he was able to get back to his mother, who seemed to have noticed that he was gone. Either that, or she chose not to mention it.

That night, Draco had a hard time falling asleep. He spent most of his time tossing and turning, searching for a comfortable position. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, anymore. It seemed that as the years went on, he was having a harder time sleeping at the Manor, than he was at Hogwarts. He often thought about it. It was interesting, really, the way his views had changed about Hogwarts. Of course, it was not something he shared with anyone and no matter how hard he tried to push the thoughts away, he couldn't escape his own thought.

It had been worse recently. His father had never been particularly affectionate, and on some level, Draco supposed that bothered him, but mostly he didn't care. What did bother him, was the things he was saying. Draco had always blindly followed what his father said and believed, never thinking twice about it, embracing it, and even spewing the same rhetoric himself.

And yet.

Draco opened his eyes stared at the ceiling, willing his eyes to adjust to the dark. His fathers' words from months ago rang through his brain, causing his ears to ring and his stomach to churn. "_They're just like the mudbloods and muggles. They're not worthy. Disgusting." _

Eventually, Draco fell asleep.

He dreamt of sheep with hats, tea leaves that could talk, and a giant named macchiato who only wanted to eat cake. Though the dreams were filled with nonsense, they slowly shifted to something dark and malicious.

In the new dreams, the ones he would remember thought the night, Draco was kissing someone. It wasn't the semi-familiar lips of Pansy, nor could he see the persons face, but the lips were rough, and the person smelt vaguely of coffee and caramel. Their hands were rough, and their pants were gruff, far from feminine. Soon, the person began to fade, leaving Draco alone, kissing at nothing. He yearned for the touch of that person again. He yearned for the touch of the calloused hands, and chapped lips. The low, breathy pants, and the short hair.

Draco turned, searching for the partner that had since disappeared, but he instead found his father.

His father sneered, his lip turned into an ugly scowl; a scowl Draco had only ever seen directed at muggles, blood traitors, and muggleborns. The look was pure hatred, filled with a rage that rang through and tore at Draco's insides. His father opened his mouth and said _"Disgusting" _before he faded away, leaving Draco to fall into the blackness around him.

He snapped awake, sweat covering his forehead, his heart pounding, and his fathers words on loop in his ears.

"_They're just like the mudbloods and muggles. They're not worthy. Disgusting."_


	3. Chapter 3

Honestly, Draco, I'm not sure why you insisted on joining me to Diagon Alley again this week."

Draco let out a heavy sigh. "I've told you, mother, I have an interesting book I wanted to look at."

"And you couldn't just have it shipped?"

"no, mother, I asked last time and they couldn't send that copy by post. It was the last one they had. I'm lucky that they even offered to hold it at all, let alone how long they did."

"Ah, well, I will see you at two this afternoon then." Narcissa said, handing Draco a small sack of money and sending him on his way.

He waited until his mother was safely out of sight before walking in the opposite direction toward Gringotts, while trying not to panic. And act natural. It wasn't an uncommon thing, for Draco to go to the bank alone. It was, however, unusual (and _illegal)_ for him to cast an identity masking charm. Even more unusual (and less illegal) was for Draco to Exhange his money for muggle money.

He hadn't a clue how to even do it, let alone spend it.

"How can I help you?" the goblin behind the counter asked, noticing the charm on his person and choosing to ignore it. _Thank Merlin. _He thought. _Imagine explaining _that_ to mother._

"Yes, I uhm-" he cleared his throat, "I need muggle money. Only a little. Just enough to last me a day." The goblin raised his eyebrow but decided against commenting on the unusual behavior of Draco. He must have realized that the charm was directly related to the muggle money.

The goblin grunted, took the bag, and exchanged a small portion of the bag into muggle money. Draco thanked the goblin before walking out and heaving a relieved sigh. Before his trek into the muggle world, he stopped at the bookstore to purchase a book for his alibi.

The only things he remembered were that it was strange and that he had walked left. Or was it right? He took a deep breath, let out a shorty plea for guidance from _whoever _and walked down the street.

Muggles, it seems, were quieter themselves than wizards, but the world around them was much louder than the world Draco was used to. Part of that, he figured, was because of the things they called vehicles. He barely remembered learning about those in school, so all he knew was that they were used to get around instead of floo, brooms, or apparation.

He was searching his mind for any sort of memorable landmark or tell about where he was regarding the coffee shop, but he found none. He stopped at a sign that was labeled "City Map" with the hope that the coffee shop would be on it, but he was severely disappointed when he found out that muggle maps made absolutely zero sense, and the lettering was so small he could barely see it. He tried to sneakily tap his wand on it and summon the place, and had it been a wizard map it would have appeared in an instant. But it was not, and it did not.

He looked around once more and gave a frustrated sigh. He just wanted to find the damn coffee shop.

"Excuse me, are you lost?"

Draco spun around and stared at the stranger who had approached him. It was a nice-looking old lady, who wore a bonnet on her head and had a cane in her right arm. She also smelled very strongly of cats.

"Yes, boy, you there. Are you lost?" she pressed again.

He snapped at attention. He had never been addressed by a muggle before, never really _talked _to a muggle before. He didn't know what to do.

"You're not from these parts, are you?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "I saw you looking at that map. You couldn't find where you needed to go, could you?"

"Uh, no." he was finally able to spit out. He cringed internally, hoping that his instinctual tone didn't make it through his spoken voice. Guessing by the minor look of offense on her face, it had.

"Well, where are you going?"

"Uh, a coffee shop." he said uncertainly.

"Well, there's one just across the street there." She pointed at a building with a sign that read 'AMT Coffee.'

"No, that's not the one I'm looking for."

"Well what is the one you're looking for called?" she asked, her kind voice betraying the annoyed look on her face.

"Uhm, it was called 'Tea Tree Coffee." or something similar."

"Ah, The Tea Tree." She said. I know the owner. Very nice man. But you are in quite the opposite direction. It's about ten blocks that way." She pointed in the direction he had just come from. He groaned internally.

"Ah, okay, thank you." he said, slipping past her and ignoring the last question she asked. He had a long walk, it seemed.

When he finally arrived, he was out of breath. He checked his watch. It was only 11:30 so he had plenty of time. The chime above the door signaled his entrance, and it was almost jarring how out of place he felt. Last time he had been so focused on getting out of the rain that he hadn't even noticed his dress. He was certainly not wearing muggle clothes. No one seemed to pay him any mind, though. He acknowledged the girl working behind the counter and made his way to a seat that faced the door so he could watch and wait for Potter.

Finally, after thirty minutes and the counter girl asking him to buy something three times, Potter entered. He shot out of his seat and hurried to the line, in front of Potter.

He looked furious.

"What are you doing here?!" he hissed at Draco.

"I owed you a coffee." Draco shrugged. He had not thought about what he would say or do once he was faced with potter.

"What?" Potter snapped, "What the fu-"

"Next in line, please!" counter girl said. She gestured at Draco who scurried to the register.

"Uhm, yes, hello. May I please have something sweet?"

"What exactly would you like?"

"Something with caramel?" he asked, uncertain.

She narrowed her eyes at the customer but told him his total either way.

"Can you make it extra sweet?" he asked.

"You can add your own sugar." she smiled kindly.

He nodded. "Oh, and uhm. Whatever he wants." Draco gestured at Potter who stood behind him, fuming.

"Americano with room." he snapped.

Counter girl took a moment before looking back to Draco and telling him his new total of seven pounds and fifty-six pence. Draco stared at the money for a moment before figuring that ten is bigger than seven, so what could be wrong with setting down the piece that said ten on it?

Nothing, he found out as he waited for his drink and shoved the change into his pocket.

"Carmel Latte!" Someone called. He approached the counter as he had seen other patrons do and grabbed the drink. When no one protested he assumed he was safe to ask. "Can I add more sugar?"

"Yes, of course. The sugar and cream are right there to your left." He nodded and turned left.

He sat his drink down on this new sugar and cream counter and was disappointed, but not surprised, that he didn't find any instructions. There were three clear bins that were all filled with white stuff. None of them labeled. Above those were four silver jugs that he assumed carried milk. To the left were shelves that housed lids, straws, and napkins. There was something there that he recognized as the little sleeve over his coffee. He didn't know exactly what purpose they served. He stared hopelessly at the counter.

"You're unbelievable." Potter said, coming up on his right.

"I don't know what these are. I just want more sugar."

"The spoons are labeled." Potter said, shoving Draco out of the way. "That one is stevia, that one is dried creamer, that one is sugar." he said. He added one spoonful of the sugar to his own cup before pouring something from one of the jugs into the cup as well.

"What is stevia?"

"Just use the sugar." he said. Draco nodded and added three spoonful's before joining Potter at the table he had previously occupied.

They sat in silence for some time, Potter occasionally glaring at Draco.

Finally breaking, Draco said, "I need to be back to Diagon Alley by 1:30."

"Okay." potter said. "Are you sure you don't need to be there, ya know, now?"

"No, I don't, Potter."

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"I told you, I owed you coffee."

"That's a pretty lame excuse." Potter said but sipped his coffee none the less.

"Well, it's the truth." Draco glared, "What is that, anyway?"

"An americano."

"Yes, I _know _that is what it is _called, Potter." _Draco rolled his eyes, his stomach began fluttering in familiar frustration and anger and the boy across from him, "But what is it. American?"

"Yes, it's American, at least, I think. It's just espresso with water."

"Espresso?"

"Yes." Potter said.

"What is that?"

Potter sighed heavily. "It's just a certain way of preparing coffee."

"Oh."

I don't know why you're here, Malfoy, but you're not going to learn anything about me here. Also, what do you think you can accomplish here in public? In a muggle place?"

"I told you. I owed you a coffee. That's it. I don't have any plans, and I don't need to learn your _secrets_ or whatever."

"I don't get it."

"Look, Potter. I just liked the coffee shop and it was nice to be away from my parents for once. And this drink was really good last time. There's nothing like this in our world."

Harry raised his brow at the use of 'our' and Draco could only assume it was because Draco had never acknowledged them as equals in the Wizarding World.

"Anyway, what is it about vehicles? They're so noisy. It's so much noisier out there than Diagon Alley. I didn't even this that was a possibility."

Potter stared at Draco incredulously for a moment before he tossed his head back and let out a real, genuine laugh. One of the laughs that he always heard from across the Great Hall.

Draco never in his life, not since that first day at Hogwarts, thought that one of those laughs, those smiles, would be directed at himself. It was an interesting feeling. He had never really paid that much attention to Potter, especially when he laughed. He had never noticed the brilliance of his smile or the way his eyes lit up behind his glasses.

He was entranced.

And he didn't know why, perhaps it was the contagious laughter, or the way the other people stopped what they were doing to stare in annoyance. Perhaps it was the sheer volume or ridiculousness, but for the first time in a very long time, Draco let out a genuine laugh himself.


End file.
